A Forum for Vigorous Debate, Cornerstone of Democracy

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A FORUM FOR FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND VIGOROUS DEBATE, CORNERSTONES OF DEMOCRACY
[For the journal--guidelines, focus, etc.--go to www.theamericandissident.org. If you have questions, please contact me at todslone@hotmail.com. Comments are NOT moderated (i.e., CENSORED)!]
Encouraged censorship and self-censorship seem to have become popular in America today. Those who censor others, not just self, tend to favor the term "moderate," as opposed to "censor" and "moderation" to "censorship." But that doesn't change what they do. They still act as Little Caesars or Big Brother protectors of the thin-skinned. Democracy, however, demands a tough populace, not so easily offended. On this blog, and to buck the trend of censorship, banning, and ostracizing, comments are NEVER "moderated." Rarely (almost NEVER) do the targets of these blog entries respond in an effort to defend themselves with cogent counter-argumentation. This blog is testimony to how little academics, poets, critics, newspaper editors, cartoonists, political hacks, cultural council apparatchiks, librarians et al appreciate VIGOROUS DEBATE, cornerstone of democracy. Clearly, far too many of them could likely prosper just fine in places like communist China and Cuba or Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Russia, not to mention Sweden, England, and Austria.
ISSUE #45 PUBLISHED MAY 2023. NOW SEEKING SUBMISSIONS FOR ISSUE #46.

More P. Maudit cartoons (and essays) at Global Free Press: http://www.globalfreepress.org

Monday, August 17, 2009

With Their Ilk in Power, How Not to Be Cynical?


David Bottoms, Georgia poet laureate, looks the part of a 60s hippie sellout. The country today is run by sellouts from the 60s. Bottoms' Faustian pact enabled him to obtain numerous awards, not to mention tenure at Georgia State University. He disdains what he calls cynicism and thinks that nobody can write anything really good unless they truly believe in his fairytale god. George Bernard Shaw saw things quite differently: "The power of accurate observation is often called cynicism by those who don't have it." Evidently, Bottoms is lacking it because lacking it is an evident prerequisite for career success in academe. Like Bottoms, Bubba Clinton was always railing against cynicism. "This cynicism is my enemy," he'd said. Bob Woodward noted, however, that for Clinton “Cynicism” was, in part, a code word for media criticism. I suspect for Bottoms, cynicism is a code word for anything critical of the canon, academe, poetry establishment, and of course himself.

Word of this blog entry was sent to about a dozen Georgia State University English department members, including Bottoms. Who knows? One of them might actually respond, though experience dictates that to be highly unlikely. Professors will only debate if money is handed to them and/or if such debate might further their careers in our capitalist society. Kennesaw Review was also informed.

8 comments:

mather said...

I like the little details you throw in there, like "I (heart) James Dickey".

G. Tod Slone said...

I was going to throw this in but didn't know where, so left it out:

Proverb: All praise and no frays makes David a dull establishment boy.

The dude has a list of prizing a mile long... which of course to me says the dude as a poet isn't doing his job.

The very idea of a poet being a professional poet is reprehensible, if not an oxymoron. Well, Buk had become a professional poet...

G. Tod Slone said...

M,
Hey, man, don't you go censoring yourself now that I took two of your poems! So, if you didn't like that toon, just say it. Now, of course, maybe you did. And that's cool. We're fighting for openness here. So damn much serves to tie our tongues. Poets gots to fights that shite!
T.

mather said...

Just the opposite, my friend. I like the cartoon, but every time I come on here and say, "Cool toon" or something I feel like some sycophantic wad of goo. So, yeah, I liked the cartoon. Don't worry, I'm sure if you keep talking you'll say something that pisses me off...

mather said...

I used to know a guy who drank at the same bar I did, in the early mornings. He was about sixty or more, his name was John. He had been a professor years before. Not English, but something. Well, he had an accident of some sort, a car crash I think, and it left him...different. He was much slower mentally and yet he still knew who he was...he was like a lobotomized intellectual. The only reason I mention it is because John looked EXACTLY like your drawing of Bottoms. It's spooky, actually. Those eyes, kind of lost and scared and beaten...it's sad...a sign of brain damage...

G. Tod Slone said...

Yes, I guess I can see your pt. RE sychophantic. BUT I see it more like an excellent addition, especially with your story on that loboto intello and the eyes. Bottoms does have eyes like that. I think it must also have to do with having an easy life of job security. I've spent most of my life looking for job. Hell, I'm still looking. I couldn't imagine what it must be like to have ONE well-paid job (summers off, etc.) and know they can't fire you from it. That's the kind of eyes he's got.

mather said...

That's my point: it seems tenure and a brain damaging accident can have similar effects on the psyche.

linz said...

wow.
i hope this isn't your day job. the drawing is just...awful. literally the drawing itself.
and i am actually taking one of bottom's classes at georgia state and i have to say, in his defense...he's a fucking genius.
i have been in several poetry workshops and i have never learned so much in any of them as i have in his.
i just happened on this. i googled bottoms and this is on the ump-teenth page of images and just, wow. heh.
sounds like jealousy, my dear.